Melville Peak

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Melville Peak
British Antarctic Territory
King George Island
Summit: 1,804 feet 62°1’16"S, 57°40’16"W

Melville Peak is a prominent hill rising to 1,804 feet on the west side of Cape Melville, the south-eastern point of King George Island in the South Shetland Islands in the British Antarctic Territory.

The peak was called Mont Melville by the French Antarctic Expedition of1908-10, in association with the cape.

The hill represents an eroded stratovolcano of unknown age and contains a volcanic crater at its summit. A volcanic ash layer similar in composition to Melville Peak has been identified 19 miles away from the volcano and may indicate Melville Peak has been volcanically active in the last few thousand years.

This peak, which was probably known to early sealers in the area, was charted by the French Antarctic Expedition under Jean-Baptiste Charcot, 1908–10, who named it from Cape Melville. It was climbed from the north-east in September 1949 by Geoff Hattersley-Smith and Ken Pawson.[1]

References

  • Gazetteer and Map of The British Antarctic Territory: Melville Peak